In recent years, the African Union has faced many obstacles in achieving effective regional integration. To overcome these, the AU must be taken out of conference rooms and research institutes, and delivered to people on the streets
There have been many observations on how to re-position the African Union as the primary vehicle for advancing unity and economic development of the continent. The transformation of the AU from the Organisation for African Unity ignited a wave of optimism.
Such optimism stemmed from the legal and policy documents of the institution, development of key organs to translate these instruments into positive action, and statements of many African leaders on the need to pursue a new vision.
The positive response of the international community also bolstered the outlook on how things will shape up for the new institution. However, key developments in the past decade have shown that the dream of effective unity is still deferred.
Bad governance, increasing political instability, lack of political will to implement key organisational documents, lack of effective coordination between the AU and sub-regional organisations, shortage of human and financial resources for regional organisations, and uneven development within and amongst sub-regional organisations remain major obstacles to achieving the goal of unity.
In addressing these shortcomings, it is important to creatively engage in activities that enhance the understanding and awareness of what the AU is and how we can make it more relevant. In other words, the key issue should be on how to get the basics right. Beyond the elitist strictures of the academia, glittering summit venues, and research institutes, it is imperative to take the AU to the people.
There is the need to break down the complex policies and strategies of the AU to simple terms for the man or woman on the streets of Kinshas, Monrovia, Juba, Ouagadougou, lagos and Maputo. These include the meaning of the AU, its challenges and relative achievements, its relevance to existential concerns, the impact of its frameworks on national sovereignty, and its future goals.
The importance of building a critical mass of followership cannot and should not be underestimated. As an organisation that has weak structures and foundation, the AU can only drive its legitimacy through wide support of the African populace.
The popular understanding of the AU will go a long way in creating a support base critical for influencing and pushing national Governments to fulfil their commitments to the organisation. If national citizens become fully aware of the potential benefits of the AU, and the negative implications of its inefficiency on their existential concerns, such citizens are likely to become more active in driving the demand for its empowerment.
How then do we popularise the AUIJ To match their rhetoric with actions, African leaders have to begin the process of enhancing the symbolic presence of the AU in their respective States. This requires simple efforts such as placing the AU flag alongside national flags, placing AU symbol on national ID documents, incorporating the study of the AU into the curriculum, explaining national programmes within the context of AU policies, engaging the media on strategies of increasing the awareness of the AU, providing strategic support to organised civil society involved in promoting the AU, and the creation of national units solely dedicated to the AU agenda.
The private sector can also play a critical role in this respect. In recent times, African companies and entrepreneurs are increasingly investing across the continent. From South Africa to Nigeria, Kenya to Tanzania, African businesses continue to expand the tentacles of their investment, thereby creating more jobs and opportunities on the continent.
According to a 2013 report by Ernst & Young, South African investments have created an accumulated 46,000 jobs across the continent. The Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, is also making strategic inv estments in Ethiopia, Zambia, Cameroon and Nigeria.
The AU should play a key role in coordinating these developments and fitting them into an integration-friendly business plan. This can include measures such as sponsorship of scholarship programmes, provision of loans and grants, youth empowerment, and investment in the AU Programme on Infrastructure Development in Africa.
The AU cannot afford to fail in its quest for enhancing and re-positioning Africa for the challenges of the 21st century. The deficiencies of the organisation, mainly a result of the lack of political will on the part of national Governments, therefore, require nuanced ways of thinking and doing.
Securing the support of the African populace is a very important element. It simply implies that the organisation does not just remain the ‘African Union’; but more importantly, the ‘Union of the Peoples of Africa”.
(The writer is a senior lecturer in law at the University of South Africa)